Saarland University
Encyclopedia
Saarland University is a university located in Saarbrücken
, the capital of the German state of Saarland
, and Homburg
. It was founded in 1948 in Homburg in co-operation with France and is organized in 8 faculties
that cover all major fields of science. The university is particularly well known for research and education in Computer Science
and Computational Linguistics
. In 2007, as part of the "University of Excellence
", the graduate school in Computer Science
and the Cluster of Excellence Multimodal Computing and Interaction started to get funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Thanks to bilingual German and French staff the University has an international profile, which has been underlined by its proclamation as "European University" in 1950 and by establishment of Europa-Institut
as its "crown and symbol" in 1951.
In addition, 9 academics have been honored with the highest German research prize, the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize
, while working at Saarland University.
Saarland University, the first to be established after World War II
, was founded in November 1948 with the support of the French Government and under the auspices of the University of Nancy.
At the time the Saarland found itself in the special situation of being partly autonomous
and linked to France by economic and monetary union. With its combination of the German and French educational traditions and the dual languages of instruction, the university had a European perspective right from the start. Prior to the foundation of the university, clinical training courses for medical students at the state hospital in Homburg, Saarland
, had been introduced in January 1946 and the "Centre Universitaire d'Etudes Supérieures de Hombourg" established on 8 May 1947 under the patronage of the University of Nancy.
With its numerous degree programmes and the variety of final qualifications offered (Diplom
, Magister, state examinations and, increasingly, bachelor and master qualifications), Saarland University provides the broad spectrum of disciplines typical of a classical universitas litterarum. The more traditional subjects such as business administration and economics, law and medicine are just as much a part of Saarland University as the new degree programmes that have developed from modern interdisciplinary collaborations and which reflect the increasing demand for such qualifications in today's job market. Examples of these new courses include 'Biology with Special Focus on Human Biology and Molecular Biology', 'Bioinformatics /Computational Biology', 'Mechatronics Engineering', 'Micro- and Nanostructured Materials', 'Computer and Communications Technology', 'Historically-oriented Cultural Studies' and 'French Cultural Science and Intercultural Communication'.
Integrated degree courses, which can lead to the award of a joint degree, are organized by Saarland University and foreign partner universities in the fields of business administration, physics, chemistry, materials science and in the interdisciplinary programme 'Cross-border Franco-German Studies'. In the area of teacher training, Saarland University offers an integrated bilingual (French-German) course for prospective teachers of geography and history. A further distinctive feature of Saarland University is the fact that the university is able to award French degrees in subjects such as Droit, Allemand and Lettres modernes. Additional qualifications may also be obtained in numerous postgraduate courses.
Further, the university has senate and a number of councils dealing with problems ranging from distance learning to women's issues.
and Master courses of study in addition to the older Diplom
. Saarland University is entitled to confer Ph.D.
degrees from all 8 faculties. The University also confers honorary titles.
The university is responsible for conducting Computer Science related courses for students enrolled in the graduate programmes of the MPI for Computer Science and MPI for Software Systems.
Saarland University is one of the few universities in Germany where the entire master's programme in computer science is taught in English.
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
, the capital of the German state of Saarland
Saarland
Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...
, and Homburg
Homburg, Saarland
Homburg is a town in Saarland, Germany, the administrative seat of the Saarpfalz district. With a population of c. 44,000 inhabitants, is the third city in its federal state. The medical department of the University of Saarland is situated here. The city is also home to the Karlsberg beer brewery...
. It was founded in 1948 in Homburg in co-operation with France and is organized in 8 faculties
Faculty (university)
A faculty is a division within a university comprising one subject area, or a number of related subject areas...
that cover all major fields of science. The university is particularly well known for research and education in Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
and Computational Linguistics
Computational linguistics
Computational linguistics is an interdisciplinary field dealing with the statistical or rule-based modeling of natural language from a computational perspective....
. In 2007, as part of the "University of Excellence
German Universities Excellence Initiative
The Excellence Initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the German Research Foundation aims to promote cutting-edge research and to create outstanding conditions for young scientists at universities, to deepen cooperation between disciplines and institutions, to...
", the graduate school in Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
and the Cluster of Excellence Multimodal Computing and Interaction started to get funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Thanks to bilingual German and French staff the University has an international profile, which has been underlined by its proclamation as "European University" in 1950 and by establishment of Europa-Institut
Europa-Institut of Saarland University
-Innitial focus on history & culture:The Europa-Institut was intended to be the "jewel and symbol" of Saarland University, a university itself based on the merger of German and French educational traditions, founded under the aegis of France and the University of Nancy in 1948 and boasting...
as its "crown and symbol" in 1951.
In addition, 9 academics have been honored with the highest German research prize, the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize
The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize is a research prize awarded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft every year since 1985 to scientists working in Germany. This highest German research prize consists of a research grant of 2.5 million euro, to be used within seven years...
, while working at Saarland University.
History
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, was founded in November 1948 with the support of the French Government and under the auspices of the University of Nancy.
At the time the Saarland found itself in the special situation of being partly autonomous
Saar (protectorate)
The Saar Protectorate was a German borderland territory twice temporarily made a protectorate state. Since rejoining Germany the second time in 1957, it is the smallest Federal German Area State , the Saarland, not counting the city-states Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen...
and linked to France by economic and monetary union. With its combination of the German and French educational traditions and the dual languages of instruction, the university had a European perspective right from the start. Prior to the foundation of the university, clinical training courses for medical students at the state hospital in Homburg, Saarland
Homburg, Saarland
Homburg is a town in Saarland, Germany, the administrative seat of the Saarpfalz district. With a population of c. 44,000 inhabitants, is the third city in its federal state. The medical department of the University of Saarland is situated here. The city is also home to the Karlsberg beer brewery...
, had been introduced in January 1946 and the "Centre Universitaire d'Etudes Supérieures de Hombourg" established on 8 May 1947 under the patronage of the University of Nancy.
Organization
These are the 8 faculties into which the university is divided:- Faculty 1 of LawLawLaw is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and EconomicsEconomicsEconomics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"... - Faculty 2 of MedicineMedicineMedicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, Theoretical Medicine and Biosciences - HomburgHomburg, SaarlandHomburg is a town in Saarland, Germany, the administrative seat of the Saarpfalz district. With a population of c. 44,000 inhabitants, is the third city in its federal state. The medical department of the University of Saarland is situated here. The city is also home to the Karlsberg beer brewery... - Faculty 3 of HumanitiesHumanitiesThe humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
I - Faculty 4 of HumanitiesHumanitiesThe humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
II - Faculty 5 of HumanitiesHumanitiesThe humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
III - Faculty 6 of Natural Sciences and TechnologyTechnologyTechnology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
I - Faculty 7 of Natural Sciences and TechnologyTechnologyTechnology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
II - Faculty 8 of Natural Sciences and TechnologyTechnologyTechnology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
III
With its numerous degree programmes and the variety of final qualifications offered (Diplom
Diplom
A Diplom is an academic degree in the German-speaking countries Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and a similarly named degree in some other European countries including Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Estonia, Finland , Greece, Hungary, Russia, Serbia, Macedonia, Slovenia, and Ukraine...
, Magister, state examinations and, increasingly, bachelor and master qualifications), Saarland University provides the broad spectrum of disciplines typical of a classical universitas litterarum. The more traditional subjects such as business administration and economics, law and medicine are just as much a part of Saarland University as the new degree programmes that have developed from modern interdisciplinary collaborations and which reflect the increasing demand for such qualifications in today's job market. Examples of these new courses include 'Biology with Special Focus on Human Biology and Molecular Biology', 'Bioinformatics /Computational Biology', 'Mechatronics Engineering', 'Micro- and Nanostructured Materials', 'Computer and Communications Technology', 'Historically-oriented Cultural Studies' and 'French Cultural Science and Intercultural Communication'.
Integrated degree courses, which can lead to the award of a joint degree, are organized by Saarland University and foreign partner universities in the fields of business administration, physics, chemistry, materials science and in the interdisciplinary programme 'Cross-border Franco-German Studies'. In the area of teacher training, Saarland University offers an integrated bilingual (French-German) course for prospective teachers of geography and history. A further distinctive feature of Saarland University is the fact that the university is able to award French degrees in subjects such as Droit, Allemand and Lettres modernes. Additional qualifications may also be obtained in numerous postgraduate courses.
Governing bodies
The University is headed by a University Board which includes a President and three vice presidents, responsible for planning and strategy, research and technology transfer, education and administration and finance. There are two commities on research policy and education.Further, the university has senate and a number of councils dealing with problems ranging from distance learning to women's issues.
Education
Saarland University now provides BachelorBachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
and Master courses of study in addition to the older Diplom
Diplom
A Diplom is an academic degree in the German-speaking countries Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and a similarly named degree in some other European countries including Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Estonia, Finland , Greece, Hungary, Russia, Serbia, Macedonia, Slovenia, and Ukraine...
. Saarland University is entitled to confer Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
degrees from all 8 faculties. The University also confers honorary titles.
The university is responsible for conducting Computer Science related courses for students enrolled in the graduate programmes of the MPI for Computer Science and MPI for Software Systems.
Saarland University is one of the few universities in Germany where the entire master's programme in computer science is taught in English.
Research centres
Several research centres are located in the surroundings of Saarland University, including:- German Research Centre for Artificial IntelligenceGerman Research Centre for Artificial IntelligenceDeutsches Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz , lit. German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, is one of the world's largest nonprofit contract research institutes in the field of innovative software technology based on Artificial Intelligence methods.DFKI was founded in 1988...
- DFKI - Max Planck Institute for Computer ScienceMax Planck Institute for Computer ScienceThe Max Planck Institute for Computer Science is devoted to cutting-edge research in computer science with a focus on algorithms and their applications in a broad sense...
- Max Planck Institute for Software SystemsMax Planck Institute for Software SystemsThe Max Planck Institute for Software Systems is a computer science research institute co-located in Saarbrücken and Kaiserslautern, Germany. The institute is chartered to conduct basic research in all areas related to the design, analysis, modeling, implementation and evaluation of complex...
- The Institute for Information Systems
- Fraunhofer IZFP
- Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering
- Society for Environmentally Compatible Process Technology
- Institut of the society for the promotion of the applied information research
- Leibniz-Institute for New Materials INM
- Institute for Formal Ontology and Medical Information Science - IFOMIS
- The International Conference and Research Center for Computer Science
- Korea Institute of Science and Technology Europe Research Society.
- Centre for Bio-informatics Saar
- Intel Visual Computing Institute
Points of interest and Recreation
- Botanischer Garten der Universität des SaarlandesBotanischer Garten der Universität des SaarlandesThe Botanischer Garten der Universität des Saarlandes is a botanical garden maintained by Saarland University. It is located on the university campus in Saarbrücken, Saarland, Germany, and is open Monday through Thursday, and Sunday in the warmer months, without charge.The garden was founded in...
, the university's botanical gardenBotanical gardenA botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names... - The Hermann-Neuberger-Sportschule is located next to the campus and hosts the Olympiastützpunkt Rheinland-Pfalz/Saarland that is the Olympic Training Center for Rheinland-Pfalz and Saarland.
- There is also a recreation center called Uni-Fit.
See also
- HomburgHomburg, SaarlandHomburg is a town in Saarland, Germany, the administrative seat of the Saarpfalz district. With a population of c. 44,000 inhabitants, is the third city in its federal state. The medical department of the University of Saarland is situated here. The city is also home to the Karlsberg beer brewery...
- BALLBALLThe open source project BALL consists of the versatile C++ class framework BALL , a library of algorithms and data structures targeting molecular modelling and computational structural bioinformatics, a Python interface to this library and the open source graphical interface to BALL, the molecular...
- RoPeCast
- Europa-Institut of Saarland UniversityEuropa-Institut of Saarland University-Innitial focus on history & culture:The Europa-Institut was intended to be the "jewel and symbol" of Saarland University, a university itself based on the merger of German and French educational traditions, founded under the aegis of France and the University of Nancy in 1948 and boasting...
External links
- Saarland University Website
- Europa-Institut of Saarland University
- Max-Planck-Institut für Informatik
- Max-Planck-Institut für Softwaresysteme
- Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz
- Allgemeiner Studierendenausschuss (AStA)
- Campus map of Saarland University
- Saarbrücken Graduate School of Computer Science